I Became the Master of the Villain

Something was going on between the Young Lady and Lord Kian.
Following a few paces behind the two walking side by side, Hans recalled what had just happened. Some so-called princess from some kingdom or other had dared to pick a fight with the Young Lady. It was pathetic—challenging a battle she was bound to lose.
'No one can beat our Young Lady when it comes to money.'

Yet that foolish woman had no concept of giving up.
Hans had been ready to step forward, thinking it was time for him to intervene. But then… he witnessed something he couldn't believe.
“Regretfully, I have no time to spare for you.”

Kian had embraced the Young Lady tenderly—just like a lover would!
Hans's pupils trembled like there’d been an earthquake. For a moment, he thought he had to rip Kian away from her. An instinctive duty to protect the Young Lady.
But then he saw Olivia’s expression and realized how ridiculous that idea was. Her cheeks, resting in Kian’s arms, were faintly flushed.

'Ah, Young Lady...!'
When had she... started to feel that way about Lord Kian?
Hans instinctively knew—many things must have happened while he’d been recovering in the infirmary. Between Kian and the Young Lady.

“I want to see the ocean...”
“Then shall we go?”
To think they’d suggest a trip so casually.

Just how far had things progressed between the two of them?
That thought had barely crossed his mind when Kian took the Young Lady’s hand.
“Shall we?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?”
Hans was left at a loss. What should he do? Should he give them privacy for their romantic trip? But no—wasn’t it still his duty as an escort knight to stay with them?
It was then that something completely unexpected happened.
“…?!”

Their figures began to blur—and in the next moment, whoosh, they vanished.
Hans stared blankly at the spot they had been standing.
First, he denied what he had just seen.

“No way. No, that couldn’t be…”
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then fifteen…
But no matter how long he waited, they didn’t return.

“…”
Squatting on the ground, Hans poked aimlessly at the dirt with a twig before the truth finally sank in.
He had been forgotten.

A brutal truth. Overcome with despair, he cried out:
“That’s just too cruel—!”
Passersby gave him odd looks, but his wailing continued for quite a while. Of course, his cries could not reach the ones who had already left.

“They didn’t even tell me where they were going…”
Eventually, Hans trudged back toward the mansion. The sun blazed overhead, sweat dripped down his forehead… And for some reason, his side felt cold.
***

Kian’s blue eyes rippled like waves. His silver lashes trembled slightly, and his smooth, pearl-like cheeks were tinged with a soft blush.
“I like it this way too.”
He intertwined his fingers tightly with mine.

The fact that I was holding hands with a man I liked made me both giddy and nervous.
Hand in hand, we walked along the white sand beach.
We hadn’t decided how long we’d stay in Elsica, or what we’d do—but that was the charm of a spontaneous trip.

First, we decided to book a room at a resort near the coast 
It wasn’t far, so we chose to walk.
I strolled along, admiring the palm trees lining the road.
Then, just as we passed someone—

“Ah…!”
Our shoulders brushed. The man wore his hood pulled tightly down over his head. He offered a curt, gruff apology.
“My apologies.”

I said it was fine and looked up at him. His face, partially visible beneath the hood, was marred with severe burn scars. He stared at me intently.
His eyes were hidden beneath the hood, but I could still feel the intensity of his gaze.
“Are you alright?”

Kian gently pulled me closer by the shoulder, watching the man warily.
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”
The man turned his head toward Kian. Feeling the unsettling persistence of his stare, Kian spoke.

“Is there something else you need?”
His tone was a warning. The man lowered his head and pressed his hood even tighter.
“No… I’ve troubled you enough.”

Then he walked off briskly and disappeared.
Kian followed his retreating figure with lowered eyes.
That man had been strange. Why had he stared at us like that for so long…?

It gave me a bad feeling, but I decided it probably wasn’t worth worrying about. We couldn’t waste time if we wanted to swim before sunset.
We booked a room at a resort with a beautiful view.
After changing into a sundress, I came down to the lobby. Kian was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Perhaps because of the southern heat, he hadn’t bothered to fasten the front of his shirt. His sculpted muscles were plainly visible through the open collar.
His skin was so pale and smooth, he looked like a marble statue carefully sculpted by an artist.
I found myself staring at him, mesmerized.

Noticing my gaze, Kian smiled gently.
“Do you prefer looking at me over the ocean?”
His playful tone made my face burn. I tugged my sun hat down to hide my red ears, then walked toward the beach.

“Well, I’ve seen enough—now I’ll go look at the sea.”
Kian followed behind with a laugh. When he caught up to me, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
“By the way… Kian.”

“Yes?”
“Don’t you think we forgot something?”
It hit me belatedly that we’d left Sir Hans behind when we teleported.

Kian let out a soft “Ah.”
He seemed to have just remembered Sir Hans’s existence too.
“Shouldn’t we go check on him?”

I asked, worried. Kian soothed me gently as he conjured a magical messenger to send to Sir Hans.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure he’s handled it well on his own.”
“…Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Well, Hans wasn’t a child. He wouldn’t be wandering the streets like a lost kid.
'Sorry, Sir Hans.'
I’d make sure to bring back a souvenir for him when we returned.

***
The sea in Elsica was so clear, you could see straight to the bottom.
I waded in and splashed Kian playfully. The droplets, like rainbow-colored beads, landed on his silver hair.

I laughed and said,
“Kian, are you just going to stand there and take it?”
Kian shook his head lightly, flicking off the water. He smiled awkwardly.

“I’m just worried you’ll get wet, Lady Olivia.”
He was far too considerate.
When you came to the beach, you were supposed to get drenched and have fun. Of course, in this era without swimsuits, getting wet ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was extremely uncomfortable…

In any case, thanks to Kian’s consideration, I had barely gotten wet. He, however, was another story.
I stole a glance at him.
His soaked shirt clung tightly to his body. Droplets gathered at his collarbone and slid down his chest.

It made me feel… strange.
And his lips, wet with seawater—why did they look so pretty?
If Kian got any more attractive, I was really going to be in trouble.

As much as I wanted to keep playing, it was time to stop. The sea was crystal-clear, but my thoughts were too impure.
'It’s because Kian’s too handsome…'
Even if I met a legendary mermaid who lured virgins under the full moon with her beauty, I’d be fine—because no way would that mermaid be more beautiful than Kian.

'Come to think of it, Elsica used to be home to a lot of mermaids, didn’t it?'
Though now endangered, this region was once a mermaid habitat. Stories of mermaid-human romances were passed down as fairytales here.
After we finished playing in the water, Kian and I sat beneath a parasol, sipping fruit juice. Since he didn’t know the story, I told him one of the local fairytales.

“Once upon a time…”
A rich young lady bought a beautiful mermaid who had been put up for auction. She took great care of the poor mermaid.
“And then, she fell completely in love with him.”

But the kind-hearted young lady released the mermaid back into the sea. The mermaid never returned.
Unable to forget him, the young lady spent the rest of her life wandering the coast, longing for him—until she died.
A tragic ending.

After I finished the story, Kian asked,
“Why did the young lady let the mermaid go? If she loved him, she shouldn’t have.”
“She probably wanted him to be happy. He wouldn’t be, staying in the human world.”

“Still, if I were that mermaid, I wouldn’t have left her.”
Kian said,
“If she hadn’t rescued him, he would’ve been kept in a tank forever, a plaything for humans.”

“That may be true. But at least he met a kind girl.”
“Just like I met you?”
Was he saying I was that kind girl from the story?

I felt embarrassed and couldn’t think of what to say.
That’s when I felt a warm sensation.
Kian had gently taken my hand.

“Lady Olivia.”
His lips parted as if he had something to say.
His blue eyes were soft—but beneath the tenderness, I saw an emotion he couldn’t completely hide.

Desire.
Meeting his gaze, my heart began to pound.
Could it be—

Was he about to say the words I’d been waiting for?
I held my breath, nervous and excited.
At last, Kian opened his mouth.

But just then, a desperate cry came from the beach.
“Help! A child fell into the water!”